Fence-wire staple.



.'No. 732,486. v PATENTED JUNE so, 1903. R. A. WINTERS.

FENCE WIRE STAPLE. APPLICATION FILED D130 19, 1901.

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I eltkoivwg UNITED STATES Patented June 30, 1903.

PATENT OFFICE.

FENCE-WIRE ST'APLE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent .No. 732,486, dated June 30, 1903. Application filed December 19, 1901. Serial No. 86,530. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that LRANDOLPH A. WINTERS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Atwood, county of Rawlins, and State of Kansas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fence-Wire Staples, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to fence-wire staples.

The ordinary fence-wire staple is unsatisfactory because it becomes loose and allows the wire to sag; and it is the object of the present invention to provide a fence-wire staple of improved construction which may be manufactured at extremely small cost and will be of such improved and novel construction that it can be set in the post before placing the fence-wire and one in which the operation of driving into the post to secure the fence-wire will make the staple self-locking, so that it cannot become loosened by use, though susceptible of being withdrawn by force with a common claw-hammer.

To this end I have devised a fence-wire staple of improved and novel construction, as set forth in the following description, while the novel features are recited in the appended claim.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a detail view of a portion of a fence-post, fence-wire, and my improved staple, the staple being shown as partly driven in full lines, while dotted lines indicate the manner in which it is bent and becomes self-locking after it'has been driven; and Fig. 2 is a detail of the staple as furnished for use.

The staple is made from round stock and has a driving-shank 1, provided with an ordinary point 2, while its driving-head 3 is formed by bending or doubling back the material along the shank and twisting it tightly around and with the shank l in closed or closely-laid twists for the'entire length of the twisted portion, thus providing a short and solid driving-head of strength and rigidity which will prevent any spreading of the twists on driving. The material from which the staple is formed is led off from the inner end of the twisted head and extended into a lateral arm 4., disposed substantially at right angles to the shank 1 and provided at its extremity with a locking-point 5, extending at an acute angle to the arm and toward the shank 1. The

arm and locking-point are in substantially the 4 same plane.

In driving the staple, which is ordinarily in the form shown in Fig. 2, it is driven by striking on the head 3 until the arm 4.- engages the wire next to the shank. The arm is then struck, thereby driving the lockingpoint into the post, which causes the lockingpoint to enter the wood and describe a curvilinear path toward the shank, thereby clenchin g the staple to the post. It will be observed that the staple can be set in the post before placing the fence-wire and the fence-wire applied at a later time, which is sometimes very advantageous.

The staple will remain tight as driven for an indefinite period of time on account of its being locked in the manner above described; but it can be extracted by applying the claw of a claw-hammer to the head.

Having thus described my invention, what Lelaim-as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-- As a new article of manufacture, a staple made from a single piece of material comprising a straight and pointed main leg or shank, a short, solid driving-head formed by bonding or doubling back the material along the shank and twisting it tightly around and with the shank in closed or closely-laid twists for the entire length of the twisted portion, and

a bendable locking-arm leading off from the inner end of the twisted head and extending substantially at right angles to the main leg and terminating in a straight locking-point of appreciable length extending at an acute angle to the arm and toward the main leg and constituting the locking member of the'staple, said locking-arm and looking-point being adapted to bend toward the straight leg when themselves driven and, thus lock the staple.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

RANDOLPH A. WINTERS. Witnesses: I

ALBERT HEMMING, S. H. TINDELL. 

